Textile spindle assembly



June 27, 1967 R. Wv PATTERSON, JR 3,327,467

TEXTILE SPINDLE ASSEMBLY Filed March 26, 1965 INVENTOR: P05521- W. PATTE25ON,JE. BWMJ%,A, M

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,327,467 TEXTILE SPINDLE ASSEMBLY Robert W. Patterson, Jr., R0. Box 655, Shelby, N.C. 28150 Filed Mar. 26, 1965, Ser. No. 442,906 2 Claims. (Cl. 57-135) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A bolster for a textile spindle assembly wherein the bolster is formed of a one-piece plastic material conforming generally to the configuration of the spindle to be received therein, and wherein the plastic material provides self-lubricating bearing surfaces for the spindle to avoid the necessity of lubricating oils.

This invention relates to a textile spindle assembly and more particularly to an improved bolster to be used in a textile Spindle assembly.

Textile spindle assemblies for use in spinning frames or the like have usually included a bolster casing mounted on the bolster rail of the spinning frame, a bolster having ball bearings therein and mounted within the bolster casing and defining an oil reservoir, and a rotary spindle device having a generally cylindrical extending end portion rotatably received within the bolster for rotation with respect thereto on the ball bearings. These prior spindle assemblies necessitate the use of a substantial amount of oil within the bolster to lubricate the ball bearings of the bolster and the spindle for rotation of the spindle device within the bolster.

In textile manufacturing plants, it is normal procedure to lubricate frequently each of these spindle assemblies and usually at least once a day. This lubrication requires stoppage of the spinning frame or the like and the manual lubrication of each of the spindle assemblies of the spinning frame or the like. This procedure is very costly and time consuming to the textile manufacturers inasmuch as the period of stoppage of the spinning frame for lubrication reduces the production of the spinning frame, operators are required for the manual lubrication of each spindle assembly, and a large amount of oil is necessary for this frequent lubrication.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a textile spindle assembly including an improved bolster which will eliminate the lubrication problems heretofore encountered in textile spindle assemblies and thereby increase production of the machines utilizing the spindle assemblies, eliminate the time and labor involved in prior lubricating operations, and eliminate the cost of lubricating materials.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide a textile spindle assembly having an improved bolster adapted to receive a spindle for rotation therein, and wherein no ball bearings are required and at least the internal walls of the bolster are constructed of a self-lubricating plastic material.

It is a further more specific object of this invention to provide a textile spindle assembly having an improved bolster therein wherein the closed end of the bolster bore has an inverted frusto-conical shape corresponding to the shape of the extending end of the spindle whereby the spindle will gyroscopically center itself within the bolster during rotation thereof for minimum bearing contact with the self-lubricating internal walls of the bolster.

Some of the objects of the invention having been stated, other objects will appear as the description proceeds when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

3,327,467 Patented June 27, 1967 FIGURE 1 is a partial front elevational view of the textile spindle assembly of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view of the textile spindle assembly of FIGURE 1 taken substantially along the line 1-1 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the bolster of this invention; and

FIGURE 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the bottom of the bolster of FIGURE 3 illustrating the frustoconical shape of the closed end of the bolster bore.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in FIG- URES 1 and 2 a textile spindle assembly, generally indicated by the reference number 10. This spindle assembly 10 comprises a stationary bolster casing 11 comprising an elongate body portion having an outwardly extending flange 12 thereon. The bolster casing 11 includes longitudinally extending screw threads 13 on the outside surface thereof extending downwardly from the flange portion 12. The bolster casing 11 is mounted in an aperture of a bolster rail 14 and is held in position thereon by a nut 15 tightened against the bottom of the bolster rail 14 on the threads 13 so that the bolster rail 14 will be sandwiched between the flange 12 and the nut 15.

The bolster casing 11 has an elongate, generally cylindrical, axial bore 20 therein which is closed at the bottom end thereof and open at the top end thereof, as viewed in FIGURES l and 2. The bore 20 in the bolster casing 11 includes a key-way 21 in the top portion thereof extending from the open end thereof for purposes to be hereinafter described.

The textile spindle assembly 10 further includes a rotary spindle device comprising an elongate generally cylindrical spindle 22 having an inverted frusto-conical shaped end portion 23. The rotary spindle device also includes a whorl 24 fixedly mounted on the spindle 22 so that a portion of the spindle including the inverted frustoconical shaped end extends there-beyond. The extending portion of the spindle 22 is slightly tapered toward the inverted frusto-conical shaped end thereof, as is conventional in textile spindles.

The textile spindle assembly 10 further includes a bolster 30 constructed of a self-lubricating plastic material, such as a high modulus or high density polyethylene or polytetrafluorethylene, one form of which is marketed under the trademark, Teflon. The bolster 30 comprises an elongate, generally cylindrical body portion having a key 31 on the upper portion thereof so that the bolster may be mounted within the bore 20 of the bolster casing 11 and keyed thereto by the key 31 in the key-way 21 to prevent rotation of the bolster 30. The bolster 36 has internal walls defining an elongate, generally cylindrical, axial bore 32 therein of slighty greater cross-Sectional diameter than the spindle 22, i.e. approximately .002 of an inch, and which is closed at one end of the bolster 30 and open at the other end of the bolster 30. The bore 32 is correspondingly tapered in the same manner as the spindle 22 from the open end thereof to the closed end thereof.

The closed end, generally indicated by the reference numeral 35, of the bolster bore 32 has an inverted frustoconical shape corresponding to the extending end 23 of the spindle 22.

The spindle 22 is received and supported within the bolster bore 32 for rotation of the rotary spindle device during spinning operations. Inasmuch as the bolster 30 is constructed substantially of a self-lubricating plastic ma terial, the bolster will provide internal walls formed of a self-lubricating plastic material to provide self-lubricating bearing surfaces for the rotary spindle 22 during rotation thereof. Also, when the inverted frusto-conical shaped end 23 of the spindle 22 is received in the correspondingly inverted frusto-conical shaped closed end 35 of the bolster bore 32, the rotary spindle device will gyroscopically center itself within the bolster bore 32 during rotation thereof for minimum bearing contact of the spindle 11 with the internal Walls of the bolster 30.

From this description, it may be seen that a textile spindle assembly is provided which has an improved bolster therein which provides self-lubricating bearing surfaces for a rotary spindle device received and supported therein, thereby eliminating ball bearings and lubrication problems heretofore encountered in textile spindle assemblies of this type. This spindle assembly also provides a bolster wherein the closed end portion is of an inverted frusto-conical shape corresponding to the inverted frusto-conical shape of the extending end of the spindle so that the spindle will gyroscopically center itself within the bolster during rotation thereofrto minimize bearing contact with the internal walls of the bolster.

In the drawings and specification there has been set forth a preferred embodiment of the invention and, although specific terms are employed, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation, the scope of the invention being defined in the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A textile spindle assembly adapted to 'be mounted on a bolster rail of a spinning frame comprising:

(a) a stationary bolster casing having an elongate, axial bore therein which is closed at one end of said casing and open at the other end of said casing;

(b) a rotary spindle device including an elongate, generally cylindrical spindle having an inverted frustoconical shaped end and a whorl fixedly mounted on said spindle so that the frusto-conical shaped end of said spindle extends therebeyond; and

(c) an elongate one-piece bolster keyed within said bore in said bolster casing to prevent rotation thereof and having internal walls defining a generally cylindrical, axial bore therein of slightly greater cross-sectional diameter than said spindle and conforming generally to the configuration of said spindle and being closed at one end of said bolster and open at the other end of said bolster for receiving and supporting said spindle for rotation of said spindle device, said bolster being constructed substantially of high modulus polyethylene to provide self-lubricating bearing surfaces for said rotating spindle device, and the closed end of said bolster bore having an inverted frusto-conical shape corresponding to the extending end of said spindle so that rotation ofrsaid spindle will cause said spindle device to gyroscopically center itself Within said bolster bore for minimum bearing contact with said bolster. 2. A bolster adapted to be used in a textile spindle assembly including a stationary bolster casing and a rotary spindle having an inverted frusto-conical shaped end, said bolster comprising a one-piece elongate body portion adapted to be keyed within the bolster casing to prevent rotation thereof and having internal walls defining a generally cylindrical, axial bore therein of slightly greater cross-sectional diameter than the spindle and conforming generally to the configuration of said spindle and 'being closed at one end of said bolster and open at the other end of said bolster to be adapted to receive and support the spindle therein for rotation of the spindle, said internal walls being formed substantially of high modulus polyethylene to provide self-lubricating bearing surfaces for the rotary spindle when received therein, and the closed end of said bolster having an inverted frusto-conical shape corresponding to the extending end of said spindle so that rotation of said spindle will cause said spindle to gyroscopically center itself within said bolster bore for minimum bearing contact with said internal Walls.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

A. J. SIDOTI, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A TEXTILE SPINDLE ASSEMBLY ADAPTED TO BE MOUNTED ON A BOLSTER RAIL OF A SPINNING FRAME COMPRISING: (A) A STATIONARY BOLSTER CASING HAVING AN ELONGATE, AXIAL BORE THEREIN WHICH IS CLOSED AT ONE END OF SAID CASING AND OPEN AT THE OTHER END OF SAID CASING; (B) A ROTARY SPINDLE DEVICE INCLUDING AN ELONGATE, GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL SPINDLE HAVING AN INVERTED FRUSTOCONICAL SHAPED END AND A WHORL FIXEDLY MOUNTED ON SAID SPINDLE SO THAT THE FRUSTO-CONICAL SHAPED END OF SAID SPINDLE EXTENDS THEREBEYOND; AND (C) AN ELONGATE ONE-PIECE BOLSTER KEYED WITHIN SAID BORE IN SAID BOLSTER CASING TO PREVENT ROTATION THEREOF AND HAVING INTERNAL WALLS DEFINING A GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL, AXIAL BORE THEREIN OF SLIGHTLY GREATER CROSS-SECTIONAL DIAMETER THAN SAID SPINDLE AND CONFORMING GENERALLY TO THE CONFIGURATION OF SAID SPINDLE AND BEING CLOSED AT ONE END OF SAID BOLSTER AND OPEN AT THE OTHER END OF SAID BOLSTER FOR RECEIVING AND SUPPORTING SAID SPINDLE FOR ROTATION OF SAID SPINDLE DEVICE, SAID BOLSTER BEING CONSTRUCTED SUBSTANTIALLY OF HIGH MODULUS POLYETHYLENE TO PROVIDE SELF-LUBRICATING BEARING SURFACES FOR SAID ROTATING SPINDLE DEVICE, AND THE CLOSED END OF SAID BOLSTER BORE HAVING AN INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL SHAPE CORRESPONDING TO THE EXTENDING END OF SAID SPINDLE SO THAT ROTATION OF SAID SPINDLE WILL CAUSE SAID SPINDLE DEVICE TO GYROSCOPICALLY CENTER ITSELF WITHIN SAID BOLSTER BORE FOR MINIMUM BEARING CONTACT WITH SAID BOLSTER. 